Lawn Lake Trail

*A note to the reader. I periodically list elevations is parentheses. This is a rough estimate of our total elevation gain to that point. This is calculated based on a topo map and is only the difference between the start and end points and does not include any up & down along the route. Also, Sarah's camera apparently had a fingerprint on the lens so it is a little blurry near the center. It is also only 1 mega pixel which doesn't do the beauty of the Rockies justice.

After our great trip last weekend, Sarah and I decided to do another one this weekend. Since it is a little early to do a 14er (due to snow pack) we decided to try a few 13ers. On Friday we headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park to do a little more backpacking. I did some research and found a 6.3 mile trail that ends at a beautiful lake called Lawn Lake.

From this lake we have access to four different 13ers. We start up our route at around 1pm at an elevation of around 8,500ft.

Many years ago, a man-made dam was created at Lawn Lake, but that dam broke in 1982. As we hiked up the trail, you could see the damage done by that flood. The dam was never repaired and the lake has returned to it's original level.

The river is called the Roaring River. I think the origin of the name should be pretty obvious from the pictures. All along the river there are rapids and small waterfalls that make for great photo opportunities.

We take a break every two miles to enjoy the views and eat some beef jerky. The trail was a very easy trail. You gain 2,670 ft of elevation over a course of 6.3 miles. There were four sets of switch-backs that make the trail very manageable without any significantly steep areas.

After 5.7 miles, the trail levels out to the Lawn Lake basin. The elevation here is 10,987 ft (2,487').

After determining that we did in fact forget to bring our llamas, we decided that campsite #3 would work just fine. After setting up camp, we headed down to the lake to enjoy the views.

Since it was only 4pm, we decide to try and tackle two of the 13ers before it gets too dark. We fill up our water bottles, grab our headlamps and head up the trail to "The Saddle."One hour, 1.4 miles, and a 1/2 pound of jerky later, we reach the saddle at an elevation of 12,400 ft (3,900').

As you can see in the background, the weather was getting a little questionable. With a storm brewing a few miles off, and the two of us 1,400 ft above the treeline, we decide that it isn't the best idea to try an tackle a peak. We decide to turn around and head back down to camp to make some dinner. On our way back to camp, we ran into quite a lot of wildlife. The first thing that we noticed was a ton of ground hogs (or as the misinformed ranger at the base called them, "rabbits"). The ground pigs were not the least bit intimidated by humans and proceeded to eat the cashews out of our neighbors trail mix, even as he threatened it with a hatchet (I'm not sure if he was more pissed it wasn't scared of the hatchet, or that it ate just the cashews). On our way down the pass, we got within 20 yards of a herd of big horn sheep. They looked fairly large and pissed off, so I carried a large rock with me for about a mile, just in case... About a half mile from our camp, we came across this mule deer, which was kind enough to stand still for us to photograph it. After eating our meal of re-hydrated red beans and rice, we head down to the lake to watch the sunset and see if we could see some stars. We end up meeting our neighbor down there and stay up until around 10pm talking to him. We was a hilarious guy who drove all the way from Indiana and was none too happy about all of the rabbits and his lack of cashews.

Once morning rolls around we wash up in the lake and sit down to determine our course for the day.

Since we got a late start, I suggest that we leave both of our 30 pound packs at the camp site, do Mummy Mountain and Hagues peak with just day-packs, pick up our backpacks, and head down the mountain. Sarah, being the mountain woman that she is, says that we should bring our backpacks with us in case we decide to do the other two 13ers, in which case we don't come back through this campground. Since I don't want to seem like a sissy, I agree and we decide to start with Mummy Mountain with both of our backpacks... We start out at 9:15am. The way up Mummy Mountain proved to be none too easy. At the base there was a lot of thick pine brush that we had to crash through. The whole way was very steep and we were constantly climbing over boulders. We would stop every 10 minutes or so to try and get some oxygen and to drink some water.

After a few hours we finally reach the top at an elevation of 13,425 ft (6,338').

The view from here was amazing. To the northwest was Hagues Peak, and the Never Summer Mountains. To the east we could see out over Estes Park, CO and out onto the plains.

We also have a great view of the north end of Lawn Lake which is where our expedition started a few hours ago.

Farther to the north we could see Crystal Lake which is about 1.1 miles north west of where we were staying, right at the top of the basin.

At this point I'm tired, my knee hurts, and I want to head back down the way we came and head back to the car. Sarah steps in and cracks the whip and says we have to head to the second peak or this whole weekend will be a bust (I think technically it was my suggestion but I'm all about blaming her...) Hagues Peak is the one in the background and from here it doesn't look too far, but as we find out, our eyes are much larger than our legs.

We start our traverse to Hagues peak around 12pm. We estimate that it'll take us about 45 minutes to get there and we'll be to our car in no time. After we scramble down the saddle towards the other peak, we discover that it is a lot farther that we thought. It turns out to be around 1.8 miles of hellish boulders and blistering sun. All the way I think about turning back but Sarah is behind me, goading me along like cattle.

Many hours later, we finally reach the peak at an altitude of 13,560 ft (7,073').

From my vantage point, there is a vertical drop back to the other saddle where we have to go down. Since I'm young, dumb, and invincible, I decide that I'm a good enough rock climber (even with a 30lb pack) that I can make it down easily.

A few hours later we are off the rocks and into the steep grass. From this picture it looks like an easy walk, but with every step I have 205 lbs slamming my toes into the tip of my boots, which did not make my feet very happy. Luckily this only lasted a few more hours.

Eventually we reach some flatter ground, which makes my feet happy, until I realize that I'm still 8 miles from my car, and it's getting late.

After replenishing our water supplies, we begin down the trail at 4pm to head home for the weekend. We eventually reach our car at 7pm at night. Over the course of the weekend we probably did around 18 miles of hiking with all of our gear including at least 7,000 ft in total elevation gain. It was by far the most strenuous weekend of my life, but the view was amazing and it was all worth it in the end

By the time we finished dinner it was already getting late and we still had an eight hour drive ahead of us. I decided to call Erik and Kara in Denver and they were gracious enough to let us crash in their guest bedroom for the night.

Fairchild and Ypsilon Mountains will have to wait until next time, but I'll be going a different route next time. If I ever see the Lawn Lake trail again...